Time of the Riders
by agdoll95
Summary: What if Toothless was destined from the beginning to be Hiccup's dragon?


Time of the Riders

What if Toothless was destined from the beginning to be Hiccup's dragon?

We were flying around Dragon Island with our dragons. We had wanted to explore the island a little more since we have only been there twice and for only for short amounts of time. Astrid had challenged us to a race a few minutes after our arrival. Toothless and I were about to win when a bad storm blew up. We knew we couldn't get back home in this storm and decided to take shelter in the cave on the island.

"Everyone okay?" I asked as we settled down inside.

"We're fine." Astrid as she undid her braid wrung it out and then redid it again.

I couldn't help but stare as she did so, her hair was just so beautiful. I quickly snapped out of my daydream when I heard Ruffnut and Tuffnut having at it again. I was about to break them apart when we heard a loud crack. We all froze. The dragons looked around anxiously and we looked around for the source of the crack. All of a sudden, the floor started to crumble beneath us. We ran for our dragons but the floor gave way before we could reach them. The dragons dove after us catching us in time to save us from being crushed by the fall, but we still had the rocks and boulders still coming down above us. The dragons quickly covered us with their wings and shielded us.

When I emerged from Toothless's wings, I called out to everyone.

"Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff?" I called out frantically.

"We're all okay." Fishlegs answered crawling out from under Meatlug.

"I'm seeing stars." Tuffnut said dizzily.

"Me too." Ruffnut replied. They said as they came out from under the wings of Barf and Belch.

"I think I broke my back." Snotlout complained coming out of Hookfang's wings.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Astrid said emerging from under Stormfly's wings.

"Good we're all here and intact." I breathed, sighing of relief.

I walked out and dusted myself off. "Anyone have any idea where we are?" I asked.

"I think it's a tomb." I heard Fishlegs answer.

"What makes you say that?" I asked turning around.

"Call it a hunch." Fishlegs answered with his hand on what looked like a casket.

"Whoa!" Tuffnut and Ruffnut said together.

The rest of us walked closer in awe what we had just found. Someone was buried here, probably before the dragons ever even came here. It was an amazing find.

"Who do you think was buried here?" Astrid asked running her hand across the carvings on the carvings on the casket.

"I think it was you Hiccup." Snotlout said facing a wall on the opposite side of the tomb.

"What!" I gasped.

"Look." He said pointing to the wall.

We got closer to the wall and we saw what he was talking about. Carved into the wall was boy who looked exactly like me. He was surrounded by hundreds of dragons and all of them seemed to be very happy to be around him and he looked like he was happy to be with them.

"It is me." I breathed putting my hand on the carving. I then noticed something else. There were other strange carvings on the walls like they were writing. "Look at these. I think someone wrote about who was buried here."

"I can't read these." Fishlegs said straining to read.

"I think these are hieroglyphics." I answered looking closer. "My Mom taught me how to read these."

"Can you tell us what they say?" Astrid asked.

"I can try, but it's been a long time since the last time I read anything like these. I haven't practiced in a while." I said getting closer to get a better look.

"They say this is the resting place of Haakon, the dragon whisperer. These hieroglyphics tell his story." I translated.

"He washed ashore here when he was a baby. It says that he was found by a Dark One. He took pity on him and raised him as his own. As the child grew, so did his understanding of Dragonese. It wasn't long before he could speak it fluently as if it was his natural language. One day he tried to fly with the other dragons and would have died if the Dark One hadn't caught him. The young boy and Dark One became close friends with the dragon carrying him where ever they wanted to go. When he was old enough, Haakon told his dragon friend that he wanted to go out and see the world with him. He was more than happy to travel together, but Haakon's dragon wasn't so thrilled. He said that it was too dangerous to for them to venture too far from the nest. But Haakon promised that he try and play safe. They traveled far from the nest visiting distant lands, meeting all kinds of strange and unusual people. But they always came home to the other dragons who waited for their return every night. One day, they traveled to a land not far from the nest and found it habited by people who seemed to be fond of dragons. They knew the risks of making themselves known to new people, but they wanted to know these people because they hoped to find peace between their family and the humans. Under the cover of night, Haakon and his dragon approached a man in a cloak and hood carrying a torch. When they got closer, the man turned around and demanded to know who was there. Haakon steeped out first and introduced himself in Dragonese. The man was terrified and ran away. The Dark One stopped the man's escape. The man fainted and Haakon carried him to a cave not far from where they were."

"Sounds like what you tried to do when you first met Toothless." Astrid said as Toothless stepped up beside me.

"Yeah, I guess it does." I said turning to face him. "When they got to the cave, Haakon stayed by the man's side and waited for the man to wake up. When the man opened his eyes, Haakon tried once again to talk to him, but without knowing what language to speak, the man couldn't understand Haakon. Haakon finally came up with the idea to use pictures to communicate with him. Haakon drew out what he was trying to say, but it took the man several tries before he finally understood what Haakon was trying to say to him. What Haakon didn't know was that the man he was trying to communicate with was a traitor to his people and would do anything for revenge. In an act to gain his trust, the man asked Haakon to show him his home. Haakon's dragon didn't trust the man, and Haakon wasn't willing to put his trust in someone who made his best friend uncomfortable. Haakon drew out his explanation about why he couldn't take the man to their home. The man was not pleased, but he was a patient man and told Haakon he would be more than happy to wait until Haakon's Dark One friend could trust him. In the months that followed, Haakon and his dragon friend visited the man every night they could. During their visit, the man, who Haakon came to know him as Tynan, taught Haakon how to speak gaelic-celtic language and Haakon taught about different species of dragons, but left out any information that his friend felt that he should not share with Tynan. Haakon was disappointed that it was taking so long for his best friend to trust their new friend, but Haakon trusted The Dark One with his life, so he complied with his friend's requests when it came to their time with Tynan. In time, Tynan grew to know Haakon's, Dark One friend as Keir. This name was fitting for him because in Tynan's language, it meant 'black'. Keir was happy with his new title, but still wasn't sure if he could fully trust Tynan to take him to their home, at the neck of the peninsula on the Main land, which was only a three days walk from where, Tynan lived."

"Wow! So Tynan didn't know that he lived not far from Haakon and Keir." Fishlegs said as he stroked the carvings again.

"Yeah but, Keir wasn't comfortable around Tynan unless Haakon was there and didn't trust him with that kind of information, and with good reason." Astrid cut in.

"There's more." I said turning back to the hieroglyphics. "Within a year's time, Haakon could finally speak gaelic-celtic as fluently as he could speak Dragonese. In that time, Tynan had earned the trust of both Haakon and finally Keir. When Tynan finally earned Keir's trust he asked once more is they would take them to their home. Keir was still uncomfortable with Tynan's request, but he trusted Tynan and allowed Haakon to let Tynan climb on his back and flew to their home, unaware of what Tynan' true intentions really were. Haakon and Keir showed Tynan around their home, but had to stay out of sight of the other dragons. They didn't want Tynan to get caught within the nest, for fear of what the other dragons would do to him as punishment for raiding their home."

"Just like when Toothless brought you and I here for the first time." Astrid said putting her hand on my shoulder.

"But this time, the dragons almost lost everything. Listen to this, After Tynan's visit to the nest, Haakon and Keir visited Tynan the next night but he was nowhere to be found. After hours of searching Haakon and Keir finally decided to head back for the night, but not before Haakon was struck from behind and fell unconscious to the ground. Keir tried to protect him, but how could he fight an enemy he couldn't see?"

"Wait, wait, wait, the attacker was invisible?" Fishlegs asked scratching his head.

"How is that even possible?" Astrid bewildered.

I took a closer look at the hieroglyphics and found the answer. "Tynan was the king's sorcerer and confidant, until he proved traitor and cursed the king's son. The curse said that the king's first born son would not be around to inherit the throne. Once born, he was to be sacrificed to the dragons, otherwise, dragons would attack the kingdom. The king did not comply with this because he felt that Tynan was merely trying spread lies and fear throughout the kingdom. On the night of the first prince's birth, his mother died in child birth and didn't live to hold her newborn son for the first time. The king, heartbroken and distraught, held his first son to his chest and promised to protect him, always. However, that same night, the prince disappeared. All the king and his people could find of him was a knife in his cradle with a note that stated that he belonged to the dragons. The king spent years searching for his son, but never found him. In an act of sadness and delusion, he hung himself to join his deceased wife and his presumed to be dead child."

"How sad. He never even found out if his son was alive or not." Astrid said putting her hand on my shoulder. "How could anyone be so heartless as to steal someone's child after they just lost the mother after she gave birth?"

"That's just it, it wasn't just anyone. Tynan stole the baby. He built a raft and set the baby a drift out to sea. No one ever saw the newborn prince again. Back to Haakon and Keir, after Tynan rendered Keir unconscious, he removed the spell that kept him invisible and tied them up. He took them back to his hideout in the forest and prepared for them to wake up. When they regained consciousness, Haakon tried to free himself, but his bonds held tight. Keir couldn't free himself or Haakon either. Tynan came back and revealed his true motives to Haakon about being his friend. He had planned to use dragons to destroy the kingdom and rebuild it under his rule. All he needed was to learn how to control dragons to do that he need Haakon and Keir. But with what little information that Haakon and Keir gave him, Tynan was going to need more that is why he had them at his place. No one could find them, unless he made it so, or they, by some miracle, freed themselves."

"Sounds like Alvin all over again." Fishlegs commented rubbing his hand together.

"Tynan interrogated Haakon and Keir for hours, using any means to get answers out of them, but Haakon and Keir endured it all to protect their families and held their tongues. Tynan warned them that if they didn't give him what he wanted by morning, he would kill them and learn to control the dragons by his own means. While he slept, Haakon continually shifted his hands in his bonds to loosen them and then free himself then set on releasing his friend. Once they were free, he and Keir snuck out of Tynan hut and flew back to the nest to warn the other dragons about Tynan's plan. Everyone flew around in a state of panic and Haakon soon had to leave to buy them some time. Upon arriving at the kingdom, he discovered Tynan already starting to raise his army against him and the dragons he called family. Haakon raced back to the nest and warned Kier and the dragons that Tynan was coming. Unfortunately, Tynan arrived before him and the other dragons could escape. Haakon couldn't bear the thought of the ones he loved be slaves to Tynan's plot of murder and conquest, in a desperate attempt to protect his family, Haakon created a new island where he felt the dragons would be safe, by breaking off the neck of the peninsula. After the island was a safe distance away from any land, Haakon cast a curse around the island, hiding it in the fogs of Helheim's Gate forever. The fogs would forever hide the island and no one but the dragons could get through. Until the return of his descendant."

"So that's why we were never able to find the island, Haakon made it so, so that the dragons wouldn't be hunted." Astrid said looking closer at the pictures.

"Yeah, until I met Toothless and he brought us here." I said turning back to the pictures. "It doesn't say much else except that Haakon left shortly after and returned a father with his two children, a son and a daughter. The boy's name was Breenan and the girl's name was Bree. He taught them all he knew and lived until the age of ninety. Shortly after his death, his children left promising to return one day, but they never came back. That's all it says, and then it just ends." I finished.

"Hey I think I found something over here!" Snotlout called from the other side of the tomb. We went and saw what he was talking about. I took a closer look and read what the hieroglyphics said.

"It's a prophecy." I translated. "A friendship forged from sadness and sacrifice shall destroy the darkness that controls those who harm the ones they wish to protect." As I looked at the picture above the writing, it showed a boy riding what looked like a Night Fury. The boy looked just like me. Toothless came up from behind and nudged at my arm. "You knew about this, didn't you Bud?" I as I rubbed his head.

"Someone knew that you would be the one to save humans and dragons alike." Astrid said as she stepped closer to me.

"You know all of this would be nice if we weren't trapped underground." Fishlegs brought up, "But I really think we should be trying to find a way out of here."

"It's not that hard. The floor caved in below us, but it never closed us off from the top." I said pointing up, "See? All we have to do is fly out of here."

We all got on top of our dragons and flew out of the tomb. I was reluctant to go, but I knew we had to get home soon or our parents would be out looking for us. As we got closer and closer to the island, I started thinking more and more about Haakon and Keir and what they went through together. It reminded me so much of how much Toothless and I go through for each other.

As I fell asleep that night, I dreamed about a boy who looked just like me. He stood in front of me and said, "Thank you, my young descendant. You have done well. You brought back the time of the riders. I am proud of you for that, the dragons are too. They have much to thank you for and you have much to learn of them. But I know you will not let us down. Strong wind and safe journey, young Dragon Rider."

I woke up in the middle of the night and saw Toothless standing over my bed. "It okay Bud, it was just a dream." Toothless then went and settled down on his bed and I laid back down to go back to sleep. As I closed my eyes, I thought about what Haakon said to me. 'You're welcome and I won't let you or anyone else down. Especially the dragons.'


End file.
